


Cup of Coffee

by TeekiJane



Series: The Boys of Summer [7]
Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-12
Updated: 2013-09-12
Packaged: 2017-12-26 10:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/964673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeekiJane/pseuds/TeekiJane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam and Tiffany have the world's most awkward meet up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cup of Coffee

_So no of course we can’t be friends_  
 _Not while I still feel like this_  
 _I guess I always knew the score_  
 _This is where our story ends_  
Garbage, Cup of Coffee

**Adam**

This had been the most awkward cup of coffee I’d ever drunk.

When I’d arrived at Starbucks a few minutes after seven on that Thursday, Tiffany was already sitting at a table. She had the largest size of some iced drink in front of her, but she wasn’t drinking it. She was staring off into space and there was a paper napkin in front of her. Most of it was torn to shreds and she held the last little piece in between her fingers. “Tiff?” I called after I ordered my drink. 

She looked up at me. In most ways, she looked the same as she had when we’d broken up three years before. Her hair was a little longer and her bangs a little shaggier than I remembered. The makeup was a little heavier, too. She wore a turquoise shirt that was so long sleeved that all that showed of her fingers were her fingertips with bright orange fingernails. Tiff had paired the shirt with a pair of extremely short white shorts. I’ve never understood why girls do that—wear tiny little shorts with long sleeves. Don’t their legs get as cold as their arms? 

Back to Tiffany, though. Even though she looked good from a distance, I could see that not everything was alright. It wasn’t just the shredded napkin or the way one of her knees was shaking in a jittery way, like she had too much energy or nerves. What really gave me the hint was when she finally smiled at me and answered. “Hey, Adam,” she said, but she didn’t really look happy. The smile was brief and only hit her mouth. Tiff’s eyes were sad and tired. 

I got my drink and joined her at the table. She watched me sit but didn’t say anything. “So…how are things?” 

Tiff shrugged but stayed silent. I took a sip of my coffee and tried to come up with a topic of conversation. I mean, I didn’t know what Tiffany was into these days. When we’d dated, she’d been huge into gardening, to the point when there were times I’d kiss her just to shut her up on the topic. I decided to take a stab at it. “Still gardening?” 

She shrugged a second time. “I won a couple awards last year at the county fair. But this year I’ve been so busy with school that I didn’t have a chance to plant.” For the first time since I walked in, her expression changed and she looked regretful. Ugh. Subject change time. 

“So, you go to Stoneybrook University?” 

A head shake. “No, the community college.” Tiff went back to twisting the napkin. 

“Oh.” I didn’t have a reply to that that wouldn’t come out as condescending, so I took another sip of coffee.

She looked at me, one eyebrow raised. “What about you? Where are you headed next fall?” 

I shifted uncomfortably. “Ohio University.” 

“Ohio?” Tiff had finished shredding the napkin, so she dropped the confetti that was left over and played with the straw in her drink. “What’s so interesting in Ohio?” 

“They have a business program. I’m hoping to get my MBA eventually.” 

“Oh.” It was her turn to not know what to say. 

We sat there looking at each other for a while, completely awkwardly. Tiff actually reached across the counter and grabbed _my_ napkin and started shredding that. 

I was getting ready to find an excuse to leave when Tiff spoke up. “Well, this is really awkward, isn’t it?” 

Well, what could I say to that? It was true. I started laughing. Tiffany looked surprised for a moment, but when she realized I wasn’t laughing _at_ her, she smiled for real, looking more like she had back in the day. “I’m so sorry,” she said. 

I shook my head at her. “No, no, don’t be sorry,” I said, picking up my coffee again. Now that the ice was broken, I decided to go for it. “I came out for coffee with you because you sounded like you needed a friend when you called. Why don’t you tell me what’s up?” 

I expected her to be defensive. Instead, she just sagged. “Where to start?” she asked. She picked up her drink and, for the first time since I sat down, actually took a sip. “Dad cheated on Mom, so she kicked him out. I never see him anymore, and she’s so busy that when I see her, she just barks orders at me and doesn’t actually talk to me.” I nodded. “I think I flunked algebra. I have no friends. My garden’s ruined. My boyfriend cheated on me…” she faded out. 

I was a little surprised at the litany of woes. Life in the Kilbourne house always seemed like it was a little bit dysfunctional, but this was something else. “Wow,” was all I could think of to say. 

She smiled another half-way smile. “I know, right?” 

I looked at her orange fingernails as she resumed tearing the napkin. “What about your sisters?” I asked. 

Tiffany rolled her eyes. “What about them? Shannon’s still the perfect daughter in every way. And Maria’s still super swimmer, plus she’s got this whole other group of friends from some club she joined at school. They don’t have time to talk with me.” 

Here’s what you need to realize about Tiff’s sisters. They’re always really super busy. They got so thoroughly into their activities because things were so bad at home; I could tell that back when I was dating Tiff, and Maria even actually said so once. She was only about twelve or so at the time. 

But to me there was more to Tiff’s statement than that. She reminded me of something Byron had said once. I’d actually been getting ready for a date with Tiffany at the time. Jordan had just left with a group of our friends. 

Byron was sitting on the couch in the living room, sulking with a book when I’d come down to wait for Tiff. Mom and Dad had gone out for the night, and Vanessa (who was still in middle school and therefore still “normal”) was babysitting Claire. 

Byron made a sound that was close to “harrumph” when I sat down. “What’s eating you?” I’d asked him. 

He closed the book, which he hadn’t been reading anyway. “Everyone just went to hang out without me.” 

I knew what he meant right away. Over the past couple months, 'our friends' had gone from meaning 'the triplets’ friends' to 'Adam and Jordan’s friends.' Some of the guys didn’t really like hanging out with Byron much those days. In a few cases, it had a lot to do with Dan Reiber and the trash he liked to talk. Freshman boys aren’t exactly known for their maturity. But most of the guys just thought he was kinda weird. He was quiet at school, and he would just sit and watch conversations instead of joining in. _I_ knew that he was just taking things in and processing them, but some people found it a little creepy. 

I turned to Byron, who looked both irritated and a little sad. “Well,” I began, trying to sound as diplomatic as possible, “when was the last time _you_ invited any of them to do anything? Do you ever call Scott up and ask if he wants to come over? Or Robby or Shane or anybody?” 

He grimaced and I could see I’d made my point. “Okay,” he said, “I get it.” 

The doorbell rang and I jumped up. “It’s Tiffany,” I explained as I started toward the door. Byron had picked the book back up. I moved to continue our conversation, but Tiff leaned on the doorbell and there was no keeping her waiting. I left, regretting the things I hadn’t said. 

I came back to the present and looked Tiff over. She looked as if she were moments from crying. "I bet,” I said slowly, “if you made time to talk to Shannon or Maria, they’d be willing to listen to you.” She rolled her eyes again and then rubbed her right sleeve across one eye, trying to stop the flow of tears. “Even if they don’t have time for you, I’m here. We can be friends, right? Having a friend would solve one of your problems.” 

Tiff did one of those teary laughs that girls are so good at. “Oh, sure,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve got nothing better to do than sit around with your ex-girlfriend and listen to her cry.” 

I reached across the table and put a hand on top of one of her jittery hands. “I’m here right now, aren’t I?” I asked. “And what are we doing now?” 

Tiff pulled her hand back. “Okay,” she said, sniffling back a few more tears, “but can you really picture me hanging out with the rest of your friends?” 

I stopped and actually tried to follow through with that. I thought about sitting in the pizza place with a group of my friends from the baseball team. There were usually several girls with us, and I was picturing one of them reaching over and touching Tiff’s top and asking her where she bought it, with Tiff laughing and the two of them blathering on about shopping afterward. I pictured her sitting on the couch watching TV with me and some of my brothers and sisters, everyone arguing over what to watch next and Vanessa throwing popcorn at the others, while Tiff decorated Vanessa’s hair with kernels of popcorn in return. I also imagined her sitting in the backseat of the car when I drove somewhere with Byron and Jordan (and maybe a few other people crammed in), making jokes and being a backseat driver. I didn’t see any reason why any of it couldn’t happen. “Sure. Why not?” 

Tiffany looked surprised. She picked up her drink and toyed with it some more. The expression on her face gave away an internal debate, but I couldn’t tell exactly what was going on. Finally, she stood up and tossed her drink in a nearby trashcan, even though it was still mostly full. I stood up slowly and watched her as she swept most of the napkin confetti into one hand. I thought she was going to walk away without another word, but she turned back to me after she dumped the paper into the trash. “Walk me to my car?” she said. 

For some reason, she’d parked four blocks away. I felt like we were halfway to her house by the time she stopped in front of a car, jiggling a key ring on one hand. “Adam?” she began before she unlocked the door. 

“Yeah?” 

“Thanks. For everything.” Tiff reached over and kissed my cheek. I stopped her before she could pull away, putting a hand on each shoulder. Before I realized what I was doing, I pulled her back in for a kiss on the lips. It only lasted a few seconds, but that was plenty. 

I let her go and looked at her, wild eyed. “I’m so sorry,” I said. 

She smiled, looking legitimately happy for the first time all night. “Don’t be.” She grabbed the key fob and unlocked her car, opening the door behind her. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?” she said as she sat down in the car. I watched as she put the key into the ignition. Before she started the car, she rolled down the window. “See ya, Adam,” she called as she drove away, leaving me on the sidewalk, not sure what had just happened.


End file.
